22 injured on Diwali night

Fires and burns on Diwali night left 22 people injured here on Sunday. The condition of two women and two children is critical.

Fires and burns on Diwali night left 22 people injured here on Sunday. The condition of two women and two children is critical.

The women were among eight members of a family saved from a house on fire in the Mandi Road area. A security guard alerted the fire brigade around 2.30am on Monday when the entire family was in sleep. "The other members were on the first floor, which went up in flames, and I was on the second," said Saurav, whose sisters, Ritu (25) and Bindiya (20), received critical burns in the incident.

The family recuperates in Pasricha Hospital, a private facility. The other members injured are Neena Rani (50), Gopal (30), Payal (26), Shruti (24), Ishant (9), and Dogarmal (55). Either short-circuit or firecrackers triggered the blaze, the fire brigade has said.

At the Civil Hospital, 10 people were admitted with injuries caused by firecrackers, and the condition of two children. Sanjay (8) of Basti Sheikh and Sneha (9) of Basti Danish Manda, is critical. Four people with burn injuries were admitted to Bath Hospital but all now are out of danger. "All night, our teams remained on alert," said Kashmir Singh, officer in charge of the fire brigade, adding: "At Mandi Road, our quick response and controlling the fire within an hour saved lives."